The Aesthetic Revolution: Periodicals and the New Art, 1890-1900
by
Abinadi Meza, M.F.A.
and
Deborah Ultan, Art and Art History Librarian
January 23-March 21, 2004
The Aesthetic Revolution: Periodicals and the New Art, 1890-1900 marks the first in a
series of exhibitions that will highlight the special collections of rare art books in the James Ford
Bell Library. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view together for the first time the
library’s collection of European and American nineteenth century illustrated journals. The
journals reveal the achievement of artists embraced by publishers and editors, who had the vision
to see an important development in modern art, and the business sense to bring an elite form to
the masses while bolstering advertising and subscription revenues. This exhibition emphasizes
the historical context of two developments of the Art Nouveau movement — magazine
illustration and graphic design.
Historical Background
Technological developments in the graphic arts had a significant impact on European and
American culture during the last decade of the nineteenth century. Recently improved printing
techniques led to more sophisticated image-making. This evolution in printmaking, along with
other industrial advances of the time challenged traditional practices in the appreciation of
periodicals. In some cases, magazine production costs decreased and output increased making
the periodicals accessible to the general public and shattering the premise that they were
collectibles. In other cases, the reverse was true and while photomechanical production was used,
the publications remained limited to connoisseurs. Regardless of distribution, the inclusion of
illustrations, cartoons, and color images by recognized artists, questioned the exclusivity of art,
and carried art into the vernacular.
Competitive with technological developments from the 1890s to the turn-of-the century, was an
increasingly active trade market at an international level. In his essay on Art Nouveau, The Style
and the Age, art historian Paul Greenhalgh describes this growing marketplace, "Trade
simultaneously became more international and more aggressive, as nations fought each other in
the factory and the market place."1 This growing internationalism altered the infrastructure of
communities and their economies, having a profound influence on the arts and fashion — where
even the most functional or utilitarian objects were designed to be decorative. Culture was
moving in new directions — modern directions.
Modernism — recognized broadly as a term that describes a culture transitioning from the old to
the new — turned culture around at the end of the nineteenth century, and the art that not only
reflected but advanced this cultural revolution was Art Nouveau. The focus of the New Art
movement was on the merging of aesthetics with the everyday; the idea that art is life and life is
art. Greenhalgh also highlights this initiative:
The driving passion behind all these ideas stemmed from a belief
that art and life were synonymous. The artist's creative spirit was
believed to be a force through which the life of the community could
be generally improved.2
The stylized organic imagery, flora and fauna, typical of Art Nouveau, more than hinted at the
fusion of art with life. However, the essential intent to make all of life aesthetic carried some
inherent contradictions. The elaborate craftsmanship and preference for quality material echoed
the value of high art on the one hand, while the spirit to mass-produce and immerse all of culture
in a decorative aesthetic, on the other hand, radically broke boundaries between high and low art.
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2
Regardless of this distinction, imagery filtered into magazine publications at all levels, limited
editions and mainstream, and appeared in magazines from England, France, Germany, Spain and
America demonstrating that a modern culture was in the making.
Magazines from 1890-1900
Magazine publication touched all sides of the New Art movement and the radical ideas promoting
modernism. Magazine journals by nature provided the context for the dissemination of the latest
ideas of the day. While some of the limited edition publications were selectively intended for art
enthusiasts and bibliophiles, and created with original graphic work and refined craftsmanship,
other publications relied on photo-mechanical reproductions and aspired to reach the widest
possible circulation.
Some publications were famous sources of inspiration, including: Siegfried Bing's Artistic Japan
(founded in 1888, Paris), Octave Maus' L' Art Moderne (1881, Brussels), Leon Deschamps' La
Plume (1888, Paris), Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo's Hobby Horse (1884, London), Shannon
Ricketts' The Dial (1889, London), and The Studio (1893, London).3
Some journals provided a forum for non-partisan debate, including: L'Emulation (1874,
Brussels), Revue des Arts Decoratifs (1880, Paris), Der Architekt (1895, Vienna), The
Architectural Record (1888, New York), and The Craftsman (1901, New York).4
Others offered Art Nouveau prolonged periods of overt support: L'Art Decoratif (1898, Paris), Art
et Decoration (1897, Paris), Kunst und Handewerk (1898, Munich), Kunst und Kunsthandwerk
(1898, Vienna), Der Moderne Stil (1899, Stuttgart) and Das Interieur (1900, Vienna).5
Finally, some journals were not so much presenters as examples of the New Art because of how
they were designed, printed, and marketed. The German-speaking countries were especially
prominent in this area: Pan (1895, Berlin), Die Jugend (1896, Munich), Simpliccissimus (1896,
Munich), Dekorative Kunst (1897, Munich), Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration (1897,
Darmstadt) and Ver Sacrum (1898, Vienna.)6
Highlights from the James Ford Bell Library Collection
The nineteenth century magazine collection in the James Ford Bell Library represents a dynamic
decade in history. The exhibition: The Aesthetic Revolution: Periodicals and the New Art, 18901900 makes it possible to view this unique collection all together, and to show where technology,
entrepreneurial endeavors and artistry intersect in anticipation of a new modern society.
Jugend, the Munich publication, organized by Jules Meier-Graefe, advocated the new art and
aesthetic freedom by drawing inspiration from international currents7, and used the term
"Jugendstil" (youth style) to signify their connection with the international movement. The
ornamental patterns that adorned the pages of Jugend, were derived from the organic shapes and
flatness of Japanese prints, demonstrating their awareness of the international artistic
developments. The image of Don Quixote with his horse in the 1898 edition of Jugend,
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7
"Carneval", exemplifies the use of subtle color, and the importance of simplified, flat and
abstracted shapes similar to the style of illustration appearing in other journals elsewhere.
Published simultaneously with Jugend was the satirical journal Simplicissimus, also out of
Munich. Simplicissimus attracted leading German satirists, including Thomas Theodor Heine and
Bruno Paul.8 Both Jugend and Simplicissimus provided a forum for artists eager to explore and
exchange creative interests and ideological concerns. In each, content and style were aligned
with the intent to represent new social developments, new technology, and the spirit of the
emerging international art movement. The full page image of the dog in one of the summer
editions of Simplicissmus became a trademark of this particular publication, and was symbolic of
graphic works that condemned the nationalist fervor and militarism in Germany before World
War I.
The romantic, classical and mythological images, seen in Leon Dechamps' Parisian literary and
artistic review, La Plume, contrast the politically charged imagery exhibited in the German
publications. In the 1894 special edition of La Plume, under the direction of Eugene Grasset, the
delicate composition of the lovers representing art and literature reveals the capability of the new
photomechanical process. With this method, the intense labor of hand engraving gives way to a
simplified approach that could also produce multiple copies, yet retain the finesse of an original
print. The image resonates with some Art Nouveau imagery that favors the use of fine lines,
foliage and swirling decorative patterns that cover an entire page.
The publication, La Revue Blanche, under the direction of the brothers’ Alexandre and Thadee
Natanson, made its first appearance in Paris at the end of 1889. Similar to La Plume, the
Natanson brothers advocated for modern aesthetics, and were clearly devoted to the new artistic
and intellectual currents. They solicited artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Felix
Vallotton, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to contribute regularly, and both Bonnard and Lautrec
created lithographic posters as advertisements for the publication. Indicative of the Natanson's
commitment to the partnership between artist and publisher, a deluxe edition of twelve La Revue
Blanche prints were published separately in 1895, which likewise emphasized the appreciation of
the magazine publication.
Three humorous supplements illustrated by Bonnard, Vallotton and Lautrec, all entitled NIB,
were included with three individual issues of the La Revue Blanche.9 The NIB supplements
demonstrate how an artist's original work were mass produced through the relief processes and
printed at the same time as the text.
Between 1896 and 1900 popular journals coming out of America included The Saturday Evening
Post and The Ladies’ Home Journal. At the same time, an illustrated journal for artists and
connoisseurs, The Poster, was published both in England and America, by Will M. Clemens.10
The imagery seen in the Clemens’ publication shows an interest in the trends of the international
New Art movement. On exhibition is the print of two women seated together, one holding a
paintbrush the other a color palette. The image is noticeably similar to work by Will Bradley and
borrows techniques of traditional Japanese painting. With a background washed entirely in
luminous red of two flat figures shaped by simple, sweeping black lines eliminates any
suggestion of a foreground or background. The image symbolizes the integration of international
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10
influences with fresh new avant-garde design and printing techniques, and the text "The Poster"
printed across the top further emphasizes its modern origins.
As color-lithographic posters gained respect as collectable art objects, they were often reprinted
and reduced in size for artistic periodicals. The reductions were based on photographs of the
original composition. Guided by their own judgment, chromists would color images separately
and produce lithographic plates and stones for each color needed to print the smaller version for
publications such as Maindron's Les Affiches Illustres, The Poster, and Le Courrier Francais.11
The Montmarte periodical Le Courrier Francais included reduced size color-lithograph posters
by artists including Jules Cheret and Adolphe Willette. These posters could be detached from the
issue, creating original, limited-edition supplements that set a publication apart from mainstream
mass-produced periodicals and appealed to connoisseurship. The framed lithograph in the
exhibition, by Toulouse Lautrec, is an example of one of these original inserts.
The final representative image for the exhibition is a sepia toned aquatint by E. Kirchner
of figures coming and going on a path, holding umbrellas and wrapped in billowing
capes. Japanese in inspiration, the handling of the figures suggests movement and a
perspective from a high-vantage point, hinting that the artist was also familiar with the
woodcuts of Felix Vallotton. In this print, Japanese art and contemporary innovation are
united, creating an example of an advanced design found in a Pan, 1896.
One final aspect of the exhibition is found in ornamental designs produced by
publications… Spain…
Impact of the Aesthetic Revolution
The origin of the imagery highlighted in the James Ford Bell Library collection stems from
particular interests of the fin-de-siecle experience. Three types of sources were at work and can
be identified as natural, historical, and symbolic.12 All of these qualities simply reinforce the
great diversity of Art Nouveau imagery, which was encapsulated in the works found in journals.
In these magazines, an absorption of Japanese design principles was combined with the desires of
numerous artists working in many countries simultaneously, to demonstrate that the revolution in
design was also invading magazine illustration. What was generally desired was that the middle
class would adopt what was promoted in magazines in order to improve aesthetic effects of their
living environments. In this way, periodicals can be seen as helping to fulfill one of the basic
tenets of the Art Nouveau: the improvement of modern life.
Deborah K. Ultan, Art/Art History Librarian, University of Minnesota
--------------------------------------------------The Aesthetic Revolution: Periodicals and the New Art, 1890-1900 exhibition is the result of collaboration
involving several departments and organizations within and outside the University of Minnesota. The show
was conceived, coordinated and co-curated by the University's Art/Art History Librarian, Deborah K.
Ultan, and co-curated by Leigh Roethke, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art History. Brochure Editor,
Kimberly Ann Krawczyk, Design by Jessica Lowe from By Design, a student-run service out of the
Department of Design, Housing and Apparel, supervised by Steven McCarthy, Associate Professor,
Design, Housing and Apparel. Exhibit bookstands, handcrafted by Tim Herstein, Assistant, Department of
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Conservation from the Minnesota Historical Society. Guest Speaker, Lisa Michaux, Associate Curator,
Department of Prints and Drawings at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Project Advisor, Gabe Weisberg,
Professor, Department of Art History.
The exhibit was generously supported by the Gorman Art Endowment Advisory Board and the University
Libraries. The Francis V. Gorman Endowment was given to the University of Minnesota Libraries in 1986
to support the art book collection.
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Bibliography
1) Greenhalgh, Paul. In "The Style and the Age." Art Nouveau: 1890-191,
Ed. Peter Greenhalgh, 15-33. (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, N.Y., 2000): p18
2) Ibid., p.19
3) Ibid., p.21
4) Ibid., p.29
5) Ibid., p.29
6) Ibid., p.29
7) Michele LaVallee: “Art Nouveau”, The Grove Dictionary of Art Online,
ed. L. Macy (Accessed 11/14/02) http://www.groveart.com
8) See Phillip Dennis Cate, "Prints Abound: Paris in the 1890s," Prints
Abound: Paris in the 1890s (National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.,
2001): 12-47
9) (Consult Leigh -- no.6.)
10) Charles Hiatt, "The Collecting of Posters," The Studio vol. 1 (1893): 61
11) Consult Leigh (no.3 but not 3)
12) Greenhalgh, p. 21